Green Options » seahorse http://greenoptions.com/tag/seahorse Posts tagged 'seahorse' Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:17:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en Seahorse Hawaii Foundation and Ocean Rider Teach Conservation Globally http://ecoworldly.com/2009/10/14/seahorse-hawaii-foundation-and-ocean-rider-teach-conservation-globally/ http://ecoworldly.com/2009/10/14/seahorse-hawaii-foundation-and-ocean-rider-teach-conservation-globally/#comments Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:17:09 +0000 Lucille Chi http://ecoworldly.com/2009/10/14/seahorse-hawaii-foundation-and-ocean-rider-teach-conservation-globally/

Rarest of all sea creatures seen in the wild today, once upon a time the seahorse was found in every ocean of the world from 20 feet to 100 feet (area now most frequented by man). Sea dragons and Seahorses are protected globally by CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), and now by Seahorse Hawaii.

Incredibly enchanting creatures in the animal kingdom, seahorses have an unusual biology, with a prehensile tail, and eyes that rotate 360% independent of the other, and the seahorse is the only animal in the entire animal kingdom in which the male has a true pregnancy!

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]]> http://ecoworldly.com/2009/10/14/seahorse-hawaii-foundation-and-ocean-rider-teach-conservation-globally/feed/ Largest LEED Platinum Building in the World http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/10/10/largest-leed-platinum-building-in-the-world/ http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/10/10/largest-leed-platinum-building-in-the-world/#comments Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:42:46 +0000 Keith Rockmael http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/10/10/largest-leed-platinum-building-in-the-world/ This post, like the masses of crowds, makes its way inside the just opened Academy of Sciences Museum. And why not as the Museum just became the largest LEED Platinum building in the world as well as the world’s most sustainable museum building. Take that Louvre.

As a Green building, the designers highlighted the new qualities but the also the previously used materials. What could be more famous then the seahorse railing and the colorful original tiles that surround the old favorite alligator swamp exhibit? Both the unique decorations are back. Okay, we’ll get to the bigger stuff.

One of the biggest challenges for this building was to optimize the natural light from the 200 some odd roof skylights to reach the living rainforest and coral reef. Unfortunately no LEED for Aquariums exists so the designers had balance radical ideas with practicality because they could take a chance that the wildlife wouldn’t survive.

The new aquariums displays contain twice as much water as the original, however they use less potable water because of filtration and recycling systems that purify water piped in from the Pacific Ocean. They purify the nitrate wastes using natural systems, ensuring that aquarium water can be recycled and reused. We also liked that they used 50% recycled content for the aquarium’s concrete.

Of course, everything can’t be perfectly green in a building. We cornered Water Planet designer Tom Hennes who (together with Urban A&O) designed the exhibit’s innovative wall treatments, about things that he would have liked to changed in regard to making the aquariums more green he said,  “It’s hard to live without fiberglass.”

Even with the fiberglass we’re happy to be living with the fishes in this extraordinary green icon.

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